Lesson 4: E Marker and the Copula
You can already say i mo “I eat.” But eat what?
Grammar
E marks what the action engages
Add e for the direct object.
You now have:
A = Actor
I = Initiates
E = Engaging
The basic pattern is:
a [subject] i [verb] e [object]
nim i mo e mo
Click to Reveal Translation
*I eat food.*The e tells you that the second mo — food — is the direct object.
Saying “is” without a separate word for “is”
For ordinary identity and description, Oravia does not insert a separate am / is / are verb. We use a on both sides:
a [subject] a [description or identity]
Before looking at an example, try it yourself.
You already know leirih = tree and yalgai = small. How would you say The tree is small?
Reveal
`a leirih a yalgai` *The tree is small.*That's it: the second a introduces the identity or description.
Objective and subjective qualities
Oravia separates two broad kinds of qualities:
YAL — measurable size/dimension: small, long, wide, and so on
YU — subjective qualities: easy, difficult, pleasant, and so on
Vocabulary
Building blocks
TAN — big. Mnemonic: a Titan is huge.
ELE — self-expansion, flourishing. Mnemonic: elevate.
YEL — joining. Mnemonic: think of a yoke joining two things.
VI — inside the body. Mnemonic: viscera.
WA — water, sea. Mnemonic: water.
MU — small animals. Mnemonic: a mouse is a small animal.
Try vidur
You already know DUR = hardness from Lesson 1.
VI = inside the body.
DUR = hardness.
What body material comes to mind for vidur?
Reveal
**vidur** = **bone**.Words
| Oravia | Meaning | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| yaltan | big, large | YAL size + TAN big |
| eleyel | love | ELE self-expansion + YEL joining |
| wamu | fish | WA water + MU small animal |
| vidur | bone | VI inside the body + DUR hardness |
| viwa | blood | VI inside the body + WA water/liquid |
| yugai | easy | YU subjective quality + GAI small |
Put it together
From earlier lessons
eofa = friend
leirih = tree
yudur = hard / difficult
aparih = jump
nim i eleyel e nim eofa
Click to Reveal Translation
*I love my friend.*a leirih a yaltan
Click to Reveal Translation
*The tree is big.*a vidur a yudur
Click to Reveal Translation
*Bone is hard.*a wamu a yalgai
Click to Reveal Translation
*The fish is small.*a aparih a yugai
Click to Reveal Translation
*Jumping is easy.*Your turn
Write one sentence with e and one description with a ... a ....
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